First of all, we’re ‘Brits’ or ‘British’ not ‘Britisher’ (does that mean ‘more British’?)

Second, well spotted, we BRITISH writers do indeed use English.

http://stlamerican.com/articles/2009/02/11/entertainment/living_it/livingit000000000000001.txt

yeah….

“It’s just life man,” Howard said of the situation. “Chris is a great guy. He’ll be all right. Rihanna knows he loves her. They’ll be alright. Everyone has just got to get out of their way.” Link

Jesus. If the baby wipes interview didn’t confirm it, now I firmly believe Terrence Howard is f’ed in the head. I almost think there’s more hope for Chris Brown than this guy. I mean if Brown did this, you could at least argue that he came out of an abusive childhood and is still young enough to break the cycle (although I am NOT saying that gets him off the hook). What is Terrence Howard’s excuse for rationalizing DV in the cold light of day?

By contrast I thought Kanye West gave the best reaction that I’ve heard so far – totally condemning the violence without calling for Chris Brown’s head on a pike. Which I think is appropriate given how few facts in the situation are fully confirmed.

As we all well know, when a woman willingly enters the public sphere, any mistreatment she incurs is her own damn fault. It’s exactly the message being sent with terminology like “fair game,” which, as Liss at Shakesville pointed out yesterday, derives from hunting, i.e., given her celebrity status, we, as journalists, are allowed to hunt and prey upon this woman.

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/02/fair-game.html
(Near computer-illiterate that I am, I don’t know how to embed links…)

I just looked at the California statutes, and there is in fact a category of assault specific to domestic partners.

That having been acknowledged, I still don’t see the paradox or dilemma you posit. I see feminists responding in various ways to the historic way in which domestic violence has been treated differently.

The real issue, as others have pointed out already on this thread, is celebrity. Yeah, when someone famous like Chris Brown is said to have assaulted a woman in his apartment or to have been specifically charged with femony domestic violence, a lot of people will infer that the victim was Rihanna. As Jill said, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the press should confirm that assumption.

Isn’t there a bit of a feminist dilemma here? You can have victim anonymity or you have a crime that depends upon the relationship between the victim and the offender, but you can’t have both. There’s no way to report the bare facts – Chris Brown has been charged with felony domestic assault – while preserving victim anonymity. He couldn’t have committed that crime if she wasn’t who she is.

I am not familiar with the California statutes, but generally I don’t think the crime of assault ever “depends upon the relationship between the victim and the offender.” Assault is assault. The problem in the past was that people (including the authorities) often didn’t view intimate partner violence as assault. They viewed it as some special category of behavior that was not as serious or as needing of police intervention as the REAL crime of assault. The feminist contribution was not the creation of some special new crime, but rather the recognition that a man’s beating of a wife or girlfriend IS assault, a crime that needs to be taken seriously.

But then, you ask, why the need for a special rule of anonymity for victims of domestic violence? First, I should note that that is a different than the issue of how the police should charge or respond to domestic violence. Second, and more importantly, however, I think this is a function of the fact that so many people STILL view domestic violence as different in kind than regular old violence. It is a gendered issue and, as such, people are inclined to blame and shame the victim. One solution is not to reveal the victim’s identity.

This isn’t some paradox. Feminist work in this area has had to respond to the culture as it exists.

Also, does anyone else find it weird that the term ‘lady’ (in the context of Sarah @ post 9) has moved from being asexual (in a sense) to ‘hyper-sexual’?

1. Most people have it.
2. It’s possible to have it for a long time before symptoms occur. Although it’s rare, it can be a year or more.

Q: How common is herpes?

A: Most Americans have herpes, either as genital herpes, or as cold sores, the main difference is site of preference and social acceptance. Experts estimate that 60 million Americans have the virus that causes the genital form of herpes. In a recent study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The American Social Health Association, there are more than 15 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections each year. That’s 41,095 people, newly infected, every day!

Up to 80 percent of Americans have the most common form of herpes (HSV-1) at some time. It usually appears as oral herpes and is most often spread without sexual contact.

Q: What are the symptoms of Oral Herpes?

A: “Cold sores” or “fever blisters” usually show up on the lips or inside the mouth. They are common in young children. Brief, direct contact is all that’s needed to pass the virus. Cold sores are annoying but harmless in children and adults. But cold sores are very harmful to a newborn. Oral herpes in adults is usually a “flare-up” of a childhood infection.

Q: What are the symptoms of Genital Herpes?

A: Very often there are none. The most common symptom is a cluster of blistery sores — usually but not always on the vagina, vulva, cervix, penis, buttocks, or anus. Symptoms may last several weeks and go away. They may return in weeks, months, or years.

The first episode of symptoms of a genital herpes infection is called “primary herpes.”

Symptoms may include:

• blisters
• open sores
• pain in the infected area
• itching
• burning feelings if urine flows over sores
• inability to urinate if severe swelling of sores blocks the urethra

Very severe first episodes may have symptoms that include:

• swollen, tender lymph glands in the groin, throat, and under the arms
• fever
• chills
• headache
• general run-down feelings
• achy, flu-like feelings

The symptoms of later episodes are usually less severe than the first.

Many people carry the virus in their bodies but do not have their first episode of symptoms until they are infected another time.

Q: Can I spread Herpes even when I am not having an outbreak?

A: Yes. The genital herpes virus can still be spread through the skin although there are no visible signs of an outbreak. This is called asymptomatic viral shedding. Up to 70% of people catch genital herpes from an infected partner who has no signs or symptoms. And since the symptoms are not always obvious, nine out of ten people who have genital herpes don’t even know they’re having an outbreak.

Q: How can my partner find out if he or she has genital herpes?

A: You should be open to the possibility that your partner may also have Genital Herpes. Nearly 85% of people who are infected with HSV-2 are unaware, because symptoms can be so subtle. Try to encourage your partner to speak to his or her healthcare provider. It’s far better to know what you’re dealing with so you can reduce the risk of spreading the herpes virus to others.

Q: What could happen if I have genital herpes and don’t know it?

A: You could pass it on to a partner. Or, if your partner has herpes and doesn’t know it, he or she could pass it to you. You could also spread herpes to another part of your body, like your mouth or your finger.

Q: How long does it take for sores to appear after infection?

A: In most “textbook” cases, primary herpes usually begins from two to three weeks after the virus enters the body. In some cases it has taken only a couple of days, while in others it can take much longer.

I believe to a Britisher, that sentence construction isn’t offensive, but descriptive. Writers in UK use English, but words often carry different weight and meaning than they would in American English.

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